Members of Miramonte’s Latin Club show their spirit, with a silly twist, at the National Junior Classical Convention in July.
This summer Miramonte Latin teacher Matt Davis and 12 of his students attended the 66th annual National Junior Classical League (NJCL) convention at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D.
Established in 1936 and made up of more than 33,000 middle and high school students, the league promotes the study of Latin and Greek “to impart an understanding of the debt of our own culture to classical antiquity.”
The convention took place over July 26-31 and included more than 1,100 students from 30 states and provinces in the United States, Canada and Australia. Students competed in academic, artistic and athletic events revolving around Latin, Greek, and the ancient world. Attendees also attended colloquia on a variety of topics, from ancient astronomy to scandals in the antiquities trade.
Recent Miramonte graduate Garrett Louie was recognized for the top score on the ancient geography test. “I love studying ancient geography for the immersion and lore of the cities and monuments of antiquity: the world where Greeks and Romans lived is illuminated and quite literally tangible,” Louie says. “To this day I can walk into Rome on the same cobblestones that millions of Romans had traversed 2,000 years ago.”
Other Miramonte students placed in the top 10 for reading comprehension, modern myth, sight reading, Hellenic history, and various art contests. For one such contest, Scarlett Mosher created a handmade scrapbook that recorded the activities of the Miramonte Latin Club throughout the school year, winning third place among large schools at the convention.
The attendees also participated in Certamen, a Latin style quiz bowl in which teams of four students from competing states test their knowledge of the ancient world. Miramonte sophomore Wyatt Burns, a member of the novice team, says “I really enjoyed the competitive nature of Certamen and the constant suspense.” His team missed out on proceeding to the finals by one question: a visual question on ancient Roman toilets.
During the convention Athena Davis, Miramonte senior and Latin Club president, was elected to the NJCL office of second vice president, a first in the history of the Miramonte Latin Club. She will oversee community service for the whole national organization.
For more information on the National Junior Classics League, go to www.njcl.org. To learn more about the Miramonte Latin Club, go to www.mhsjcl.org.
